Conservative leadership race: Jeremy Hunt backs Rishi Sunak after being knocked out of contest - Sky News

Jeremy Hunt has declared his support for former chancellor Rishi Sunak after he and Nadhim Zahawi were knocked out of the Conservative leadership race.

The ex-health secretary said Mr Sunak had a "formidable ability" to deal with the challenging economy, but also said his character would suit the top job.

"Rishi is one of the most decent straight people with the highest standards of integrity that I have ever met in British politics," he said.

"And that's why I would be proud to have him as my next prime minister."

Politics Hub: Latest reaction from Westminster as field to become next PM narrows

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A total of six candidates made it through the first round of voting, with chair of the backbench 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady revealing the number of MPs who had supported each of them.

Those who made it through to the next round are:

However, while Mr Sunak leads the vote in the Commons, Ms Mordaunt has topped two polls of the wider Tory membership.

Mr Hunt only secured the backing of 18 MPs in the first round of voting on Wednesday, falling short of the threshold of 30.

But he was not alone, as the new chancellor, Mr Zahawi, also failed to make the mark, getting the support of only 25 MPs.

Tory MPs will vote again on Thursday as they continue to narrow down the pack to the final two candidates.

Mr Zahawi, who was appointed chancellor just last week, put out a statement saying his "total focus" would now be on the Treasury as the "steward of the nation's finances".

He added: "I stood for the [leadership] because I have a passionate vision for the United Kingdom that I want to see. One where ability, skills and productivity are the key to achieving success and where there is opportunity for all.

"Clearly my part in the contest has now ended. My priority is my work as chancellor of the Exchequer."

Mr Hunt, who made the final two to run against Boris Johnson in the last leadership election, gave "a gentle word of advice" to those still in the race, warning them against "smears and attacks" for "short term tactical gain".

"The nation is watching and they've had enough of our drama," he added.

Image: (L-R) Nadhim Zahawi and Jeremy Hunt

When it came to the winners of the first round, Ms Mordaunt tweeted a thank you video to her supporters, while Mr Tugendhat, who chairs the foreign affairs select committee, called it a "fantastic result" for his campaign.

He also tweeted his condolences to Mr Zahawi, saying: "You're a great man, you've been a great candidate and you're a great friend. Frontline politics needs you."

Ms Braverman, who is the attorney general, also tweeted her thanks, and a spokesperson for foreign secretary Ms Truss made a call for MPs to "unite" behind her, saying she will "cut taxes, deliver the real economic change we need from day one and ensure Putin loses in Ukraine".

Read more:
How many backers does each Tory candidate have so far?
Who are the contenders for PM and what are their policies?

Ms Badenoch said she was "grateful" to make it to the next stage, adding: "Our party must stand as the party for change. I have the conviction, the courage, and the clarity of thought to deliver that change."

There is still further to go in the contest until the final two candidates are reached, with the second round of voting due to take place on Thursday.

There had been reports a higher threshold would be imposed, but instead, it will just be the person with the lowest number of votes that is kicked out of the contest - although others may choose to withdraw.

The final stage is expected to be reached by the end of next week at the latest, leaving the last pair to carry out hustings over the summer and face a vote from the wider Tory party membership - with a result announced on 5 September.

The leadership contest was triggered after Mr Johnson announced his departure from Downing Street last week.

It followed an avalanche of ministerial resignations over his handling of disgraced MP Chris Pincher, and accusations he had lied about what he knew regarding the inappropriate behaviour of the former deputy chief whip.

Mr Johnson remains in No 10 as a caretaker prime minister while the contest is carried out.

But Labour has been pushing for the PM to go immediately, attempting to call a confidence vote in him and the government - with the potential of triggering a general election.

Instead, the government has called a confidence vote in itself, allowing it to set the wording to make it easier for Tory critics of Mr Johnson to vote in favour.

Sky News is hosting a live TV debate with the contenders vying to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and therefore prime minister, and you could be in the virtual audience.

The debate will take place on Monday 18 July hosted by Sky News presenter Kay Burley.

If you would like to be a member of the virtual audience and be in with a chance of asking a question, please email NewsDebates@sky.uk.

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2022-07-13 20:32:11Z
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Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt become frontrunners in Tory leadership race - Financial Times

Former chancellor Rishi Sunak and trade minister Penny Mordaunt on Wednesday emerged as frontrunners in the race to be the next Conservative party leader, as MPs prepared to further narrow the field.

In the first round of voting by Tory MPs for their next leader and prime minister, Sunak came first with 88 votes — a quarter of the parliamentary party — while Mordaunt was second with 67.

Two contenders were knocked out of the race to succeed Boris Johnson: former health secretary Jeremy Hunt and chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, who both failed to secure the requisite support of 30 Tory MPs to go into the next round of voting.

The four other contenders left in the contest are foreign secretary Liz Truss, who received 50 votes on Thursday, followed by ex-equalities minister Kemi Badenoch on 40, House of Commons foreign affairs committee chair Tom Tugendhat on 37, and attorney-general Suella Braverman on 32.

Conservative MPs will reduce the number of candidates further in a second round of voting on Thursday — the contender with the lowest level of support will fall out of the race.

MPs must cut the field to two candidates by Thursday next week. Tory party members will then vote to choose the winner.

Sunak’s supporters are increasingly hopeful he will make it on to the final shortlist.

One Sunak ally said MPs recognised that “Rishi has the best experience and plans to deal with the current economic situation”.

Unlike several other candidates, Sunak has insisted tax cuts cannot be implemented until surging inflation has been brought under control.

Sunak has made himself unpopular with some Tory MPs, including rightwingers, by raising taxes to pay for the Covid-19 crisis and improvements to public services.

Mordaunt emerged as favourite to challenge Sunak on the final shortlist when she launched her campaign on Wednesday with a pledge to return to traditional Tory values of “low tax, a small state and personal responsibility”.

Her campaign was boosted by a YouGov poll of Tory members that put her far ahead of other candidates.

The bookmakers’ odds on her winning the contest shortened after the poll suggested she would beat Sunak by 67 per cent to 28 per cent in the ballot of party activists.

Hunt’s campaign declined to deny media reports the ex-health secretary could endorse Mordaunt, in what would be a further boost to her candidacy.

Although Truss came third in the first round, Conservative party insiders said she was struggling to combat Mordaunt’s momentum. One said Truss had put in a “surprisingly poor performance”.

Truss’ campaign team said she wants rightwing Tory MPs to unite behind her candidacy.

“Now is the time for colleagues to unite behind the candidate who will cut taxes, deliver the real economic change we need from day one and ensure Putin loses in Ukraine,” it added.

If the right of the parliamentary party were to rally round Truss, the other place on the final shortlist might go to Mordaunt instead of Sunak, meaning the Tories would have their third female leader.

Braverman’s team said the attorney-general was not throwing in the towel, in spite of only just crossing the 30-vote threshold to fight the next round.

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2022-07-13 18:42:04Z
1494214054

UK ministers to tear up post-Brexit trade deal - Financial Times

Ministers on Wednesday pushed ahead with a bill to rip up Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland, a move that none of the Tory leadership candidates have challenged.

The bill has poisoned relations with the EU, raising fears of a trade war and the prospect of British scientists being excluded from a €95bn research programme, but it is expected to survive the leadership contest.

Downing Street has said the proposed legislation, which would override parts of the protocol, is “agreed policy” and will continue its passage through the Commons while outgoing prime minister Johnson leads a caretaker government.

The bill, which began its line-by-line scrutiny stage on the floor of the House of Commons on Wednesday, is expected to face tough opposition when it reaches the House of Lords.

None of the Tory leadership contenders — including former chancellor Rishi Sunak, trade minister Penny Mordaunt and foreign secretary Liz Truss — has committed to scrapping it. Any such move would be unpopular with some Tory MPs and party members.

Sunak resisted the Northern Ireland protocol bill while in cabinet, warning it could lead to reprisals from the EU. But the former chancellor on Monday assured members of the European Research Group, the pro-Brexit club of Tory MPs, at a private meeting that he would allow the bill to pass unamended, according to attendees.

One ally of Sunak said: “Rishi would let the bill go through, but there would be a different tone.” Sunak’s spokeswoman declined to comment.

One senior ERG source said they were reassured by Sunak’s comments but said that no senior member of the group was likely to back the former chancellor in the leadership contest.

“We care about other things other than Brexit,” the source said. “We got no commitments to cut tax at all. The vision he gave us was not a vision of hope — it was frankly managerial.”

The ERG met on Wednesday to discuss the leadership contest, but the group — thought to number scores of members — will not endorse a single candidate, with support spread between rightwing challengers Truss, attorney-general Suella Braverman and former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch.

The pyre near the Rathcoole estate in County Antrim © Paul McErlane/FT

One cabinet member predicted that even if the protocol bill reached the statute book, the removal of Johnson from Downing Street would make a negotiated settlement of the dispute more likely.

“There’s no trust at the moment, but a new leader would change everything,” said one cabinet minister, claiming that Brussels and Emmanuel Macron, French president, would want to engage with a new leader — particularly if it was Sunak.

One EU diplomat said: “A new face always makes a difference. It provides an opportunity. One approach would be to broaden the discussion over Northern Ireland into a much wider-ranging attempt to reboot the relationship.”

Officials speculated that areas for potential discussion as part of a grand bargain over Northern Ireland could include unblocking the UK’s membership of the Horizon Europe science programme and the prospect of a veterinary agreement to reduce border frictions.

Last month, Truss introduced the protocol bill, saying it would “fix” practical problems with the agreement that Brussels is refusing to solve, but EU officials warn that the legislation will worsen tensions.

Truss has argued that the protocol has created difficulties in supplying goods to Northern Ireland from Britain, and undermines the 1998 Good Friday Agreement between nationalists and unionists that ended three decades of conflict.

The row over the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, which has brought local politics in the region to a standstill, loomed over the bonfires and parades held annually by unionists and loyalists on July 11-12 in celebration of their UK identity.

Richard Bell: ‘The protocol is a mess. They’re treating us as if we aren’t British’ © Paul McErlane/FT

One pyre, near the staunchly loyalist Rathcoole estate in County Antrim, was decked with signs reading “Protocol must go” and “Compromise = sell out” as a band played “Land of Hope and Glory”.

“I’d like to see Liz Truss get in. She’s tough on the protocol and what I call the dictatorship of the EU,” said Richard Bell, 79, a retired electrical engineer, watching a marching band in north Belfast.

“The protocol is a mess. They’re treating us as if we aren’t British,” he added as marchers commemorated the victory of the Protestant king William of Orange over the Catholic James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

Victor Molyneaux: ‘I don’t think the Conservatives have anyone to put in that I would trust’ © Paul McErlane/FT

The Democratic Unionist party has paralysed local politics by boycotting the region’s power-sharing assembly and executive until the Irish Sea border goes.

James McCluskey, 33, who works in banking, feared that if “we give an inch, then an inch, then an inch . . . eventually I’ll be showing my passport to go to Scotland”. He supported the bill’s proposal for a “green lane” for goods coming from Great Britain and staying in Northern Ireland.

But while celebrating their Britishness on the “Twelfth”, many unionists professed little interest in who becomes their next prime minister. “I don’t think the Conservatives have anyone to put in that I would trust,” said Victor Molyneaux, 63, a HGV driver.

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2022-07-13 15:17:24Z
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Scotland's papers: Plot to 'Stop Rishi' and cliff fall tragedy - bbc.co.uk

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2022-07-13 07:26:45Z
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Speed limit to be lowered to 20mph in Wales - BBC

Speed limits in built-up areas will be reduced from 30mph to 20mph in Wales from next year - a UK first that is controversial among some drivers.

Ministers have said a 20mph speed limit will lower road collisions and noise and encourage people to walk or cycle.

The slower limit has been divisive in areas where there have been trials with some motorists complaining of more congestion and journeys taking longer.

The Welsh Parliament passed the law in a vote on Tuesday afternoon.

It was backed by Labour and Plaid Cymru but opposed by the Welsh Conservatives, who said the blanket rollout is "ludicrous".

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Many UK towns and cities have 20mph limits on residential roads but Wales will become the first nation to impose it as the default on all restricted roads - with Scotland set to follow suit in 2025.

Leading active travel groups claim Wales will become the world's first nation to adopt a national 20mph default speed limit on residential streets.

How much does lower speed reduce risk?

Latest police data shows the largest proportion - exactly half - of the 5,570 people hurt in collisions in Wales happened on 30mph roads.

The statistics also show that of the 1,131 people killed or seriously injured on Welsh roads in 2018, 40% of the incidents happened in 30mph zones.

Campaigners argue the chances of someone surviving being hit by a car at 20mph rather than 30mph is seven times higher while stopping distances are almost halved.

"We know that 20mph zones reduce speed of traffic, reduce accidents - particularly accidents to children," Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford said.

"We want to see that become the default position right across Wales."

Government claims 20mph limit could save money

The new 20mph limit - which will cost an estimated £33m to bring in - will come into force in September 2023.

The Welsh government claim improved road safety and a reduction in average speeds could result in a £58m saving over 30 years because of reduced emergency service demand and subsequent hospital treatment.

But according to respondents to a Welsh government-commissioned consultation, more people were against the speed limit than supported it.

The argument against - 'Bikes are overtaking cars'

After a pilot in her community in Buckley, Flintshire, Adie Drury started a petition against what she calls the "non-democratic whitewash" and has got more than 12,500 signatures.

"The community has no problem with a 20mph limit where it's necessary and where it's safe, like outside schools, health centres in housing estates and in heavily pedestrianised areas," said the 39-year-old mum.

"I was raised on a housing estate and played football in the road when I was a child and it's good to invite the community into the road-space - but it should be where it is appropriate.

"You wouldn't want your child playing football in an arterial road so why is the arterial road being made 20mph?

• Q&A: Your questions on the Wales-wide 20mph law answered

"Cyclists are having a whale of a time on Liverpool Road because they can do more than 20mph on their bikes and we can't do more than 20mph in a car - so I've had quite a lot of reports of people being overtaken by cycles."

A 20mph national default speed limit would apply on restricted roads, in residential areas and busy pedestrian streets, where streetlights are less than 200 yards apart - and anyone caught speeding could face a minimum £100 fine and three penalty points.

The argument in favour - 'A car going 30mph can feel quite threatening'

Rob Mackay is chairman of the local running club and he thinks a lower speed limit will "benefit the wider community".

"It's better for the runners, walkers, people with their dogs and cyclists," said the 74-year-old.

"If I lived on Liverpool Road I'd have one view; if I drove up and down Liverpool Road on a regular basis, I would have a different view - the Welsh government has to balance the two.

"If you live on a street, the slower the traffic past your house then the better the environment - some of it is about air pollution but noise pollution too. There's far more to it than the traffic getting jammed up."

Rob, who lives in nearby Northop, has been part of Buckley Runners for 30 years and has noticed a difference when he has been pounding the roads in this part of Flintshire.

"If a car passes me at 20mph, it's less unsettling than a car passing at 30mph," said Rob.

"And I'm well aware that there are plenty of cars that don't even stick to 30mph and, particularly in the dark, that can feel quite threatening. So a lower limit does make things better.

"I'm old enough to remember when they introduced breathalysers and if we'd had social media in those days, it would have screamed. Now accept the fact that you can't go out and drink 15 pints and drive home. Change happens."

'How can I drop off kids then travel to work on a bike?'

Ministers in Cardiff are also promoting sustainable travel - like cycling or walking - after Wales declared a climate emergency in 2019 and aim to become carbon net zero by 2050 and they think a lower limit might encourage a change in behaviour.

"They would like us to stop using our cars and use our legs to cycle and walk, but we haven't got the infrastructure to do that here," points out Adie, a health and social care student at Chester University.

"We've no cycle lanes, have narrow lanes and public transport is poor. We don't all live in Cardiff and have Cardiff's infrastructure, public transport and industry on our doorstep.

"Our nearest cities and big towns is where our industry is and that's where people have to travel to, you can't do 15 to 20 miles each way on a bike when you've got kids to pick up and drop off. In rural places, that isn't possible and that needs to be recognised.

'Improve travel infrastructure first'

"Nobody is in favour of worsening safety on the roads or making it more dangerous for children and people to cross the road but at the same time, people have got busy lives.

"Our message to government before they inflict this sort of thing on another town is improve infrastructure and involve the community. Give us the cycle lanes and an alternative to the car first."

The Welsh government have acknowledged the new lower limit won't be appropriate everywhere and local authorities can make exceptions, though not outside schools.

'Considerably less expensive'

Although road collisions in Wales have fallen from more than 10,000 a year in 1993 to around 4,000 according to the latest figures, the Welsh government has committed to making roads even safer.

Now 30 years after the Austrian city of Graz became the first area to introduce a 20mph or 30km/h limit on all residential streets in one area - it is set to be rolled out across Wales.

In the UK, the first 20mph limit was at a road junction in the Tinsley area of Sheffield in 1991 and now cities like Portsmouth, Norwich, Oxford and Bristol are among those that have the lower limit on residential roads.

🚗 Speed limits in Llandaff North, Whitchurch & Tongwynlais, Rhiwbina & Heath have been lowered to 20mph ahead of the Welsh Government’s national roll-out.

👉 For more info & FAQs, visit: https://t.co/4x1801yKOa

Lowering the default speed limit to 20mph saves lives. 👇 pic.twitter.com/RFrFTEyv9j

— Cardiff Council (@cardiffcouncil) July 6, 2022

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa) has encouraged wider use of 20mph limits as a "considerably less expensive" way than introducing traffic calming measures, adding it "greatly improves the character of a residential area and quality of life for residents".

Wales' leading active travel organisations back a 20mph residential road limit, pointing to Rospa research that claims pedestrians are 40% less likely to die when hit by a car travelling at 20mph compared with one travelling at 30mph.

Living Streets said there was "typically an average decline in casualties of at least 20%" with a 20mph speed limit compared to 30mph as Sustrans Cymru said they want "communities built for safety rather than speed".

Conservative Shadow Minister for Transport, Natasha Asghar, said: "The Welsh Conservatives are not against introducing 20mph speed limits outside schools, playgrounds, places of worship and high streets, but a blanket rollout is quite frankly ludicrous."

"Speed limits like this should be decided by councils in their local areas, not top-down by Labour ministers," she added.

Both Labour and Plaid Cymru, who have a co-operation agreement in the Welsh Parliament, back the countrywide rollout of 20mph. They hold almost three-quarters of the 60 Senedd seats, which allowed Tuesday's proposal to pass.

In the vote itself 39 backed the legislation, while 15 opposed it.

"We are united in our belief that this change will bring about a reduction in road collisions and their severity, while creating more opportunities to walk and cycle in communities," said Plaid's transport spokeswoman Delyth Jewell.

"A 20mph speed limit in built-up areas will allow us to work toward providing convenient, safe, pedestrian access to the places people need to go."

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2022-07-12 18:35:40Z
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Highest alert level for ambulance services in England - BBC

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All ambulance services in England have been put on the "highest alert level", because of extremely high demand.

A combination of staff Covid absences, hot weather and delays handing patients over to accident-and-emergency units have caused problems, NHS trusts say.

Some ambulance services have urged people to stay safe during the heatwave, to avoid overwhelming the NHS.

The public is being asked to reserve 999 calls for emergencies only.

Many trusts have also asked people to speak to their GP, pharmacist or call 111 for non-urgent issues.

'Extreme pressure'

BBC News has asked for updates from ambulance services in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Welsh Ambulance Service has issued advice on staying safe in the heat.

The Health Service Journal (HSJ) first reported all 10 trusts in England were on the highest alert level, Resource Escalation Action Plan (REAP) 4, meaning they are under "extreme pressure".

Some reached this level during this winter's Omicron Covid wave peak.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it had been on REAP 4 for months.

'Severe delays'

South Central Ambulance Service said it had also declared a critical incident, which is even more severe, "due to current pressures on our services".

"We continue to prioritise our response to those patients with life-threatening and serious emergencies," it said.

"But, due to the current levels of pressure we are seeing, there will be delays in responding to other patients with less urgent needs who are assessed as requiring an ambulance response."

And there are concerns several other trusts could follow suit.

Association of Ambulance Chief Executives managing director Martin Flaherty said: "The NHS ambulance sector is under intense pressure, with all ambulance services operating at the highest level of four within their local resource escalation action plans, normally only ever reserved for major incidents or short-term periods of unusual demand.

"Severe delays in ambulance crews being able to hand over their patients at many hospital emergency departments are having a very significant impact on the ambulance sector's ability to respond to patients as quickly as we would like to, because our crews and vehicles are stuck outside those hospitals."

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2022-07-12 17:21:00Z
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